Susan LaffertyOn a drive. After rain. Mist and fog still hang in the air. Limiting the view ahead.
But our eyes glance to the sides of the road. And we see. The beauty of timing.
Revealed. All along the way. Shining in the dark. Through woods, green and deep.
Dogwood in bloom.
“Hmm,” my college art teacher says. Then again, “Hmmmm.”
She’s looking over my shoulder. At the simple drawing. Graphite lines. Bare bones to plan and guide the assigned painting.
“Bigger. Go big!” She says. With increasing volume. Her arms flying out for emphasis. “Stretch it out. Go biiiig.”
The startling command contrasts with my small, neat pencil sketch. So confined and contained.
We’ve lived in places of extraordinary beauty. The spectacular so commonplace in my daily view that I forget what I have. Right in front of me.
Then there are the other places. The hard, trashed out, desert places. No electricity on the hottest days. Water shortages. Just plain, hard living.
I forget in those settings too. Forget to look for the beauty.
In my last post, I shared part of that journey to find it even in the unlikely places.
And through a variety of countries and cultures along the way, I’ve learned a few simple things.